No charges recommended against officers in two death cases, police watchdog says

SURREY — British Columbia’s police watchdog says it won’t be recommending charges against officers involved in two situations where people died.

The first case involved a man who was arrested in an alleged home invasion who was taken to Smithers RCMP cells over the Labour Day weekend in 2022.

The Independent Investigations Office says the man was found dead on the evening of Sept. 4, 2022, after hanging himself with a noose made from a pair of tube socks.

While the office noted the death could have been prevented, it says it doesn’t think there are there are grounds to believe an officer committed an offence.